


Ghost of Sander's Past

by esompthin



Series: Sanders Sides Shorts [4]
Category: Thomas Sanders
Genre: Headcanon, OC, Prinxiety - Freeform, Super cute tho, a little bit of, but not really?, can someone say, ig?, this is long wow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 11:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11668032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esompthin/pseuds/esompthin
Summary: Anxiety has a secret. That Patton spills to everyone. And now Thomas is curious, but that feeling only makes Anxiety feel worse. Thomas is able to coax him into telling him about his past; but will he like what he finds?





	Ghost of Sander's Past

It was any normal day in the Sanders house. Thomas was talking into his camera; Roman was being loud; Patton was being louder; Logan was interrupting them, in a far more reasonable volume; and Anxiety watched as it all happened, enjoying the growing chaos. He wasn't sure why he was always seen as the stirrer of the pot, when these guys mostly did it all themselves. Anxiety only had to say one or two (very true) words and then they were off like racehorses; seeing who could be more right. It. Was. Hilarious.

And then it wasn't. Because then, they turned on him. Virgil blinked and they were practically attacking him for bringing up the topic to begin with.

"Guys, guys," Thomas said, "is this really worth fighting about? We all just need to calm down; relax."

"Yeah, and I thought you guys were going to be nice to me now." Virgil muttered, more to himself than to them.

Patton, God love him, spoke without thinking. Again. He turned to Anxiety and said, "Hey, kiddo, I've always been your friend; even before you transitioned!"

Anxiety felt his throat close up. His heart raced and his eyes widened as he took in the shocked and confused expressions of the room. Morality slapped a hand over his mouth, shooting Virgil an apologetic look.

"What do you mean- what does he mean?" Thomas looked to Logan, who only sputtered helplessly, not knowing what was going on. Princey didn't appear any better; a confounded stare locked on Virgil. Thomas glanced at Patton, who was now hiding behind the curtains, and then to Virgil, "Why did-"

"Ihavetogo." Anxiety disappeared without a second glance. He hid in his room; pacing the floors. At one point he hid under his table in the fetal position; trying to stop his hands from shaking. He tried to listen to music; to block out the thoughts in his head, but all he could think of was;  _they know they know they know!_

Distantly, he could hear them calling out to him; trying to coax him into returning. But he couldn't. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and closed his eyes. There was something deep and dark looming in his chest, and he didn't want it to infect the others.

* * *

Thomas turned back to Patton, still trying to understand what was happening, "Mortality, what did you mean?"

"I shouldn't've said that. I didn't mean to!" Morality said from behind the curtains.

Logic shrugged, "Well, you did, so you might as well explain yourself."

"Yes, and it's not as though the rest of us are going to mind. We're a very open … mind." Roman started out strong, but ended up stumbling on the best way to describe themselves. Regardless, Logan nodded along with him.

Thomas held up his hands, "Whoa, guys, wait," everyone looked to him, Patton creeped out of the curtains to get a better view, "this isn't Patton's secret to tell. Anything involving transitioning is a very personal topic. And if anyone is going to talk about it, it should be Virgil."

"That's right!" Patton said loudly, "Now if you don't mind, I have a thing to go and do."

Before anyone could point out the very obvious excuse, Morality disappeared, leaving Thomas alone with his logic and creativey. It prehaps wasn't the best idea, to leave the three alone together after dropping such a large bomb on them. But Anxiety (obviously) wasn't going to stick around and Patton didn't want to be in trouble anymore. This led to a discussion that only Thomas could have with himself.

"Logan," Thomas turned to his logical side, "can ... Anxiety be trans? Like, if I'm completely cisgendered, can a part of my personality… not be?"

Logan thought for a second, "I'm not entirely sure. Previously, I thought that only someone more fluid in their gender expression would have various representations for their personality traits, but… clearly, I was wrong."

"But, out of everyone, I would have thought that Roman would be the nonbinary or trans pal." Thomas gestured to the prince, "That's what everyone, the fans and myself, have started to associate him with. My feminine side."

"While I do have a keen eye for fashion and a flare for romance," Roman declared dramatically, "I have never seen myself anything more than a prince."

Logan spoke slowly, "I suppose, if you were to enjoy or relate to traditionally feminine things, but still express yourself as male, then, possibly, one part of your personality would pick up on that and incorporate it."

"But, Virgil is a guy now. And Morality said he transitioned." Thomas said was trying to connect the dots. He knows that he said the secret wasn't Patton's to tell, and that this very personal topic should wait until Anxiety was ready to share it, but Thomas was  _curious_  in a way that he hadn't been in a long, long time. "Wouldn't that mean I'd be more masculine now?"

"Or more feminine when you were younger?" Princey added.

Logan fixed his glasses as he said, "I honestly couldn't tell you. Gender makes no sense to me."

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

"It's illogical. It serves no purpose but to separate the human race. I can't understand what the big fuss is. It's not real, anyway." Logic grew rather bitter as he spoke.

Thomas turned to Roman, "Gender isn't real?"  
The prince was quick to answer, "Sex is, gender isn't. It's all very wibbly-wobbly."

"Doctor Who, nice." Thomas grinned and the two went in for a high-five before Logan interrupted them.

"What I'm trying to say is, I fear as though I cannot be any help in this instance." Logic sighed, "I simply don't understand enough about this to provide an educated response."

Thomas sighed, "Okay. That's alright. So, I guess we'll just wait until Anxiety is ready to talk to us about it."  
"Or you could ask him." Roman suggested quickly.

"Or we could ask him!" Thomas grinned, turning to Logic.

Logan sighed, "He just left because he didn't want to talk about it. He's not going to come back just because you ask nicely."

Thomas' shoulders deflated, nodding, "Yeah, you're right. Virgil will come out when he's ready."

The phrasing was not intentional, but Thomas took a second to wonder if that was still considered a pun. He decided it was, and grinned at his own accidental humor.  
"Or we could go to him." Roman suggested with the same amount of zeal as before.

"Or we could go to him!" Thomas turned back to Logan, excited.

"That would be the quickest way to get your answers, but that would require going to Anxiety's part of your mind, which we have already done, and you remember how it …  _affected_  us." Logan said, shuddering as he recalled the feeling of steadily growing panic. When he was in Virgil's room, he wasn't able to keep his train of thought. His mind, his reasonable thinking, was thrown out the window because of the worry swelling in his chest. It was a terrifying moment that he doesn't wish to repeat anytime soon.

Roman looked as though he was thinking the same thing. While he certainly is the bravest of Thomas' personality traits, he doesn't  _exactly_  wish to slay this dragon again. He grimaced as he remembered how cold that room made him feel. How he felt  _different_  and not very royal at all.

"Okay, but being in Virgil's room had no effect on me at all." Thomas said, "I actually felt better being there, more like myself. Which probably says more about my mental state than I'd like to admit, but, you see my point?"

"You want to - go alone?" Worry grew in Roman's eyes as he thought about sending Thomas on a great and dangerous quest without any backup.

"I mean, yeah?" Thomas shrugged awkwardly, "I think if Anxiety is going to share this with anyone, it would be me. I mean, no offense, but you two aren't exactly…"

Logan raised an eyebrow and Roman appeared very offended. Thomas quickly continued his sentence, "Understanding! Understanding of things like gender and sexuality and strange human emotions that  _don't_ have to do with facts or -" he looked to Roman and gestured vaguely, "fiction."

The two traits looked at each other and eventually sighed. Logan muttered, "I guess you're right."

Roman waved Thomas away, "Go and talk to Anxiety. We'll be waiting patiently for the results."

"Okay." Thomas closed his eyes to try and go into his anxious mindspace.

Princy kept talking, adding, "But not  _too_  patiently, because I'm very curious about this endeavor."

"...Okay." Thomas looked at him with one eye and then closed it again, focusing.

He could feel himself slip away onto the not-yet familiar path, leading him to Anxiety's room in his mind.

* * *

It was, perhaps, only natural that Morality came to Anxiety to apologize. There was nothing wrong with that. Patton, being the trait that understands right and wrong the most,  _needs_  to fix his mistakes and take responsibility for his actions. If he doesn't, well, it puts a large strain on the poor boy, and in extinction, Thomas. Anxiety isn't going to tell Patton that he can't try and make this better.

So when Patton finds him under the table and smiles at him softly, Virgil isn't exactly surprised. Patton crawls under the table with him and wraps an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, kiddo… How you feeling?"

"I'm not okay." Virgil mumbled, "I promise."  
"I'm really super sorry about that. I didn't mean to tell everyone. I just-" Patton's eyelids started growing dark, and Anxiety's own worry started to spike.

He sat up straighter, putting a hand on Patton's knee, his voice laced with fear, "Look- it's fine, it's okay. I'm not mad - I swear I'm not mad. But Patton, you have to go. You can't stay here. You-"

"I know that you don't want to see me after I told everyone your s-secret-" Patton was saying, his eyeshadow getting deeper with each passing second. Patton grabbed Anxiety's hand, his own fingers shaking uncontrolably as he continued whining.

Virgil groaned, "Patton, you have to breathe! Listen to me!" He pulled his hands free, ignoring the way Morality flinched, and held his face in his hands gently, "Are you listening?"

Patton's gaze darted around the small room before finally locking on Anxieties gaze. He nodded jerkily, unable to speak.

"I'm. Not. Mad." He said slowly, waiting until Patton nodded again, "But you need. To go. Being in this part of Thomas' mind is bad for you. Bad for everyone. You have to go back to your room. You have to relax."

Morality squirmed, his voice emotional, "But I don't like that you're all alone like this. I want to be with you- do you feel good? I want to make you feel good! Please be okay, my little dark son!"

"I'm alright. This place doesn't … bother me anymore." Virgil offered Patton a small smile. "I'll see you later, when you're better."

"You're not mad that I told everyone about your-" Patton started to get wound up again.

"No, I'm not mad." Virgil said, as calmly as he could.

"You sure? Are you mad? You can tell me if you're mad."

"Patton." Virgil grit his teeth as he said, "Just. Leave.

" _Please_." Anxiety was shaking now as he moved his hands to Patton's shoulders. He ducked his head and sighed, leaning against Patton, "For your own good."

Morality's expression crumbled as he heard the concern in the other man's voice. He forced himself to relax, taking in a deep breath, "Okay, okay. I'll go. If you swear you're not mad."

"Not mad." Anxiety mumbled, closing his eyes. He felt so exhausted suddenly; he just wanted to get Patton out of here, to make sure he was safe.

"Okay." Virgil held on to Anxiety tighter, giving him a quick hug, before he disappeared out of the mindspace, leaving Virgil alone. "Bye, Virgil! I love you! Please don't be mad!"

Anxiety sat there, frozen under the table, as his mind was bombarded with memories of long ago. He curled up in himself, his fingers carding through his hair as he was reminded of the secret that he shared with Morality. He shook at the thought of it happening again, to one of his friends. To Patton. Or the others. He didn't want them to go through what he went through.

That's why he hates it when they come into his room. They've been doing it more and more since Thomas first discovered it. They never stay for long. Just to come by and bug him for this or ask him about that. But still; just a little contact with this part of Thomas' mind is too much. If they keep coming by - what if something happens to them? What if Anxiety can't protect them? What if they end up like him; miserable, alone, and hated? What if they lose everything about themselves that Thomas loves? What if they  _change_?

What if -

"Verg? Virgil?" A voice called from the livingroom. Anxiety groaned. He wanted to curl tighter against himself; to form into a small ball that would keep getting smaller and tighter until it disappear forever. He wanted to hide and stay away from everyone else. He wanted to protect them. But he knew that voice. He longed for that voice. Maybe that voice would understand him. Would, maybe, accept him… Even after they found out what he really was.

Sighing, Anxiety disappeared from under the table and reappeared next to Thomas. He growled, "What do you want!?"

Thomas jumped, but didn't scream. Okay, improvements. Virgil glanced around; he frown only deepened when he saw Thomas came alone. "...where's the others?"

"I told them not to come." Thomas said. Distantly, Anxiety could feel Morality screaming at the half-lie. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Thomas smiled sheepishly, "Well, it was a group desicion."

Virgil crossed his arms. "Alright. What do you want?"

"To talk." Thomas offered, gesturing to the black couch covered in cobwebs. "We can just have a nice, relaxing conversation."

"Nothing about this place is relaxing." Anxiety squinted at him.

Thomas chuckled awkwardly and sat down, "Sure, but I think we can handle it. We've seen worse than this."

Anxiety looked away, a cold shiver running down his spine. Finally, he joined Thomas on the couch, "Fine. But if you start crying, I'm out."

"That's fair." Thomas grinned.

The two sat there for a moment. Thomas took a second to look around, chewing on his lip. Anxiety shifted uneasily, longing for his spot under the table. The tension in the trait built until he couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Alright, just ask!" Virgil harshly hissed, making Thomas jerk away from him suddenly.

Thomas tried to be charming, "I don't know what you mean."

He failed.

"I'm not stupid, Thomas. You come into my room, which you haven't done since I disappeared, just  _coincidentally_ after Patton shouted to everyone about my 'transition', to have a  _relaxing conversation_ , and you think I don't know why you're here?"

Thomas sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's completely fine. I was just curious."

Anxiety's entire expression changed. He blinked, his eyes wide, and he shifted away. Virgil's mouth opened, to say something, but immediately closed again. His heart started pounding in his ears. He quickly put back on his angry demeanor and crossed his arms, glaring at the wall.

"Because," Thomas started slowly, thinking through his words, "I never really considered myself… see, I never thought that I was… I mean, maybe when I was younger? But my parents have never brought anything up about… Me being even just the slightest bit…"  
Anxiety held his breath, waiting for Thomas to say it. He closed his eyes, his muscles tightening. He couldn't hold back the swell of panic that was rising in his throat. He wanted to scream. He wanted to disappear. He didn't want this conversation to happen.

"...trans." Thomas finished weakly.

Anxiety frowned, something about the wording confusing him. He looked up at Thomas, confoundment evident on his face.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that! Obviously! I just was confused as to why I never felt this? And I know I've always been comfortable with my gender and I've done some things that other guys don't do, but that's fine, because we live in a world that's growing and changing for the better and trans people are here and visible and valid and -"

Anxiety held up a hand, stopping Thomas mid-sentence. He spoke clearly and slowly, like he was talking to a child, "What are you talking about?"

"You're transgender?" Thomas said, just as slow.

"No." Virgil just said simply, shaking his head.

"No?"

"No."

"Oh."

Anxiety laughed, softly, at the absurdity of the situation. He leaned back against his couch, relaxing into the cushions. They didn't know. They didn't realize - didn't remember - god, they thought he was trans _gender_? That's great! He could roll with that. That is such an excellent, believable distraction.

"But Patton said… he liked you even before you transitioned?" Thomas asked, clearly trying to figure out what was going on in his head.

Virgil looked to him, the lie ready on his lips. But then he saw the trust and care in Thomas' eyes. He couldn't let him down. Not again. The words got caught in Anxiety's throat and he quickly looked away. His head lowered as he fought for what to do. He isn't Morality, he doesn't care for the ethics of the world, but could he stand to see Thomas possibly get hurt because of his secret? No. Of course not.

Anxiety let out a low breath, clasping his hands together, "I'm not… like the others."

"That's alright." Thomas was quick to comfort, "Originality is what makes us all human. And, well, you're all different aspects of my mind, which is a vast, complex, and conflicting realm, so it only makes sense that you're all unique."

Virgil almost smiled to himself. Thomas was so precious. So caring and forgiving. But would he still be that way when he realized what Virgil actually was? What he did? How he  _hurt_  Thomas so deeply?

Anxiety can't even forgive himself. Will Thomas be able to?

"Hey…" Thomas put a hand on his shoulder, ducking down to make eye contact with the other man. "Whatever you have to tell me, it's going to be alright. I trust you."

Virgil closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His voice was quiet, but clear. Thomas listened intently; giving the trait his full attention.

"I told Patton because I was tired of being the only one who knew. And … I was hoping he would understand and forgive me. Since he knows the most about what's good and what's bad, I thought…"

Virgil stopped, swallowing hard, "...I thought he would help me through this. Since you're learning all these knew things about yourself, growing as a person,  _liking_ yourself… I wanted to try it, too."

Thomas waited patiently, not interrupting the other man's train of thought.

"A-and he did help. A bit. But, well, it's not as easy as he makes it sound…"

* * *

"You were young! You made a mistake!" Patton said, waving his hands dismissively, "It's alright! No one holds it against you!"

"Because no one knows!" Anxiety hissed, running a hand through his hair. "I had Thomas - I  _made_  Thomas forget! So no one would know what I did! That's horrible!  _I'm_  horrible!"

Patton's voice grew stern, "You are  _not_  horrible!"

Anxiety flinched, but relented. Patton's expression melted into one of concern as he put a hand on his shoulder, "Look, you were curious. You did something, took a chance, lived and lost. Was it an mistake? Yes. But was it an  _accident_? Yes! So it's alright! You didn't  _mean_  to ruin Thomas' life forever!"

Anxiety groaned, feeling even worse.

"That came out wrong!" Patton said, quick to apologize. "I just mean that it's okay to make mistakes and it's important to forgive yourself! Even if it's at Thomas' expense! That came out wrong, too."

After a long sigh, Anxiety looked over to Patton. "Fine. Just… don't tell anyone about this?"

"Of course, kiddo! I'd never breath it to another soul!"

* * *

"So…" Thomas said when Anxiety hesitated, "What did you do?"

Anxiety took a long, shuddering breath. Here he goes. The secret he's been keeping for over a decade, out in the open for everyone to see and know and judge. The thought terrified him. But there was no helping it now. Thomas needed to know.

"I'm not … actually … Anxiety."

Thomas frowned, shifting in his seat, "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't  _always_ your anxiety." Virgil tensed, drawing his words out slowly, "Instead, I, kind of, created it?"

Thomas just continued to stare at him; a flicker of emotions running across his face. He didn't speak, but instead gestured for Virgil to continue. The closed his eyes. Now or never. Here goes everything.

* * *

When Thomas was just a baby, he had no personality yet. He was young and didn't do much except for sleeping, eating and crying. This wasn't unusual for a baby of his age. Humans had to grow into their personality. It wasn't just given to them at birth.

So, as Thomas grew, he started to become his own individual. The first trait that came to him, was his Morality. This is common for kids; during the time when they learn not to hit people, that screaming isn't the best solution, and that rules were made to be followed; well, it's only natural that Morality would start to from in their minds.

This is why the others go to Patton for help. He may be a bit of an airhead sometimes, but he is  _technically_  the oldest. He knows the most about the world and he's ready to give advice at a moment's notice.

As Thomas grew even older, a new trait started to form. It was as Thomas learned how to walk, he first noticed this new creature. The new boy coaxed his forward, encouraging him to see the world. While Morality chided him for throwing his toys, this new boy wondered how far their Ernie doll could fly.

When Thomas' steps grew with more confidence, the boy led him around by his hand, excited to join the adults at the Big Kid table.

As Patton taught Thomas how to form words out of simple sounds; the new boy taught him a very important phrase.

"Why?"

His mother hated this word.

"Thomas, eat your vegetables."

"Why?"

"Because it'll help you grow big."  
"Why?"

"Because it's healthy."  
"Why?"

"Because - because."

And then, the new boy taught him and even  _better_ phrase.

"Because why?"

Morality sometimes struggled with this question. He only knew what Thomas knew and it was hard to explain to someone the difference between good and bad when you could only pronounce a handful of words.

But with more words came a moment that Thomas was looking forward to. He turned to his new friend and asked him; "What is your name?"

And the boy beamed, excited, "I'm Curiosity!"

"What that?" Thomas asked.

"Exactly!" The boy threw his hands in the air. Thomas laughed and clapped his hands. The two became inseparable. Curiosity led Thomas on many adventures. Morality only tagged along if they were thinking about doing something wrong. Curiosity didn't care if Mother told them no. He wanted to see for himself what would happen.

This was Curiosity's problem. He had no restraint. At first.

One day, Thomas waddled up to Curiosity, who was standing by the oven. Curiosity tilted his head, thinking hard.

"Waddya doin'?" Thomas asked.

"How does Mommy cook?" Curiosity asked in reply. "Why does food get made?"

"I don't know." Thomas shrugged, looking at his reflection in the oven door. "Mommy puts stuff in here, an' food comes out."

"But how?"

'How' was almost as interesting to Curiosity as 'why'. Thomas wanted to know the answers to these questions now. He went over to the table and pushed a Big Kid chair over to the oven. Slowly, he pulled himself up onto the chair. Standing up, he looked down at the stove. Mommy was cooking something, but she left to answer the phone. Thomas looked down as Curiosity climbed up to stand next to him. Together they peered into the pot. There was water in there, but it was all bubbly.

Curiosity frowned, "Why does it bubble?"

"Did Mommy put soap in it?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know." Curiosity shrugged. "Do we eat soap?"

"No, soap is icky. Morality made me eat some once when I said a bad word!" Thomas informed the other.

Curiosity appeared troubled, "Then why?"

The two looked back to the boiling water. Thomas reached forward, and poked a hand in the water. He pulled it back quickly, screaming as a bolt of pain ran through him. His finger was pink and throbbing as the soft skin there was burned. Fat tears rolled down his face as he cried.

His mother came running into the room, shouting at the hurt child. Thomas held up his arms as his mother approached. She picked him up and held him close, while telling him that he shouldn't be playing around the stove, it's  _hot_ , don't touch it!

A violent shock ran through Curiosity as he realized that  _he_  caused that. He was the reason Thomas was hurt. He tried to follow the boy and his mother, but Thomas wasn't feeling very curious anymore, and before he knew it; the trait had disappeared, back into his mind.

Now, this isn't the first time Thomas' curiosity got him in trouble. It was just the first time he got physically  _hurt_  because of it. For a short while, Curiosity took a step back. He didn't ask quite as many questions. He didn't encourage Thomas to wonder as much. He waited until the tenderness of Thomas' finger was fully healed. The two stayed far, far away from the oven.

But slowly, Thomas' curiosity took over again. And the two were off on adventures once more.

Their biggest adventure was looming over them as Thomas clung to his mother's leg: school. Thomas had reached that age where adults ship him off to let other adults teach them all the facts of the world. Of course, Thomas was a bit excited to see these new people in a new building. But there was a small hesitancy growing in his chest. He looked up to his mother, "You're not staying?"

"No, sweetie. I have to go to work. Only big kids go to school." His mom told him.

"I'll go to work with you!" Thomas said, reaching up to grab his mom's hand. Morality and Curiosity had been playing house with him and they both agreed that he was a very good grown-up. "I'm already bigger than big kids!"

His mother laughed and pointed over to a small group of kids. "Don't you want to go make new friends? Why don't you ask them what they're playing with?"

Thomas looked over at the other kindergartners. Curiosity formed next to him, his eyes wide. Very slowly, silently, the two held hands. Without looking away from the other kids, and with Curiosity wordlessly coaxing him forward, Thomas took his first step into this new, strange environment.

Curiosity looked over Thomas' shoulder as the boy asked the other kids, "What are you doin?"

"Tryna find Waldo." Some girl said.

"What's a Waldo?" Thomas asked.

"He's like a superhero." A boy replied, his gaze glued to the page in front of him. Thomas looked down at the colorful book and got lost in the crowded images. When he looked up again, his mother was long gone. But Curiosity was transfixed with the books. He had many questions about every drawing on the page.

Of course around this time Thomas was being taught many new things. He learned something new everyday, whether the adults intended him to or not. Morality and Curiosity weren't surprised when a new personality trait formed in the child. While Morality rather enjoyed this new trait; Curiosity did not.

Logic kills curiosity.

* * *

Thomas gasped, startling Anxiety. "Logan killed someone!?"

"Wha- no. I mean, no. Just - listen to the story."

"Sorry."

* * *

It's different for different individuals, of course. This isn't  _always_  the case. Sometimes logic only spurs curiosity on more. But for Thomas, that was few and far between.

Thomas had grown taller now, bigger, and bolder. He had some friends that he met and kept from when he was small and only cared for recess. Now he's big and all he cares for is recess.

But now he knows things like math and science. And history. During classes, when he's supposed to be writing down notes and paying close attention, Thomas gets lost in his own mind.

"All I'm saying," Curiosity said, "is that if penguins learn how to fly; then they'd be able to survive the ice melting."

"But they can't." Logic sighed, "Penguins are flightless."

"But what if they learn?!" Curiosity  _loved_  'what if' questions. He would ask them everyday. "Then, they could fly from iceberg to iceberg, and there wouldn't be a problem!"

"But they  _can't_! Their anatomy doesn't allow it! They have too much blubber! Even if penguins wanted to fly - which they wouldn't, because they don't even know what flight it - they wouldn't be able to!"

Morality spoke up, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, "Hey, maybe birds aren't worth fighting over?"

"Why won't you just let me imagine!? Why can't you just let me ask questions?" Curiosity hisses, "You don't know the future! What if penguins evolve to fly!? Who'll look stupid then? You!"

"Well, I'm just saying, it's silly when we get into all these crazy hypotheticals." Logic rebutted, louder, "If you really want to learn something, go ahead and make a list of goals; cross them off as you pursue them. And maybe when you've matured, we can put your questioning thirst to use."

The two didn't always bicker, though. Occasionally, they would work together in obsessive vigor. Thomas would be listening to something in class, and a thought - a question - would pop into his mind. Maybe it's not exactly on topic, so he doesn't ask his teacher. Instead, he writes it down in his notebook and waits until he gets home. Then the boy will get onto his family's computer, or pull out a thick book, and search for the answer.

It cures Curiosity's deep and thrilling wonder. It satisfies Logic's intense need to learn and understand the world.

"But what if this happened instead?" Curiosity would ask.

"Well, then it would have a different result." Logic would reply.

"What would the new result be?"

And Logic would pause for a moment, only to grin at the other trait and say, "Wanna find out?"

" _Yes_!"

Their relationship was rocky at best. But Thomas was still young and growing, so it only made sense that he didn't have inner peace yet. By the time Thomas was in middle school; the three personality traits were used to each other. They weren't exactly expecting for a new trait to form.

You could say it was Curiosity's fault that a new trait was formed. No one would argue with you. Especially when Thomas only went to the musical try-outs because he wanted to see what it was like. He had not yet grown to love theatre. He simply was, say it with me now,  _curious_.

One try-out turned into getting a role, his first role, and it was a speaking part. Thomas fell hard and fast, head first into a world that was populated by glitter and thespians.

Creativity didn't appear slowly like Morality did. He didn't make his presence subtle like Logic did. He didn't even politely introduce himself like Curiosity did. Nope. Creatively showed up, immediately telling Thomas how to better say a line. He appeared talking and honestly hasn't shut up since. For the next decade, everyone was going to have to listen to his stupid, projecting voice.

* * *

"I think this narrator is a bit biased." Thomas laughed. "Roman wasn't  _that bad_ , was he?"

Anxiety just stared at Thomas, pursing his lips.

"Was he?" Thomas asked again, honestly surprised.

Interestingly enough, Anxiety blushes as he continued, "Well…"

* * *

Curiosity and Creativity fell in love instantly.

But not like, a love-love kind of love. They were merely the best of friends. They fed off of each other, much in the same way that Logic and Curiosity sometimes did. But this was far more often and far less sound.

If Curiosity got an idea, Creativity ran with it and brought it to new heights.

If Creativity got an idea, Curiosity asked question upon question, adding suggestions, and helping form a wild, amazing piece of art.

Curiosity looked over what they had written, thinking, "What if he -" Creativity quickly jumped in, speaking at the same time, "was the Russian man's secret twin from Mars!?"

The two yelled excitedly, high-fiving. "It's like you're reading my mind!"

"It's almost like you're the same person." Logic muttered, earning a glare from the other two traits.

Just, they were just close, that's all, okay? That's all you need to know. Alright? They just - worked well together.

* * *

"Alright, okay, I get it. They were just buddies." Thomas said, holding up his hands defensively."

Anxiety shifted in his seat awkwardly, "Good buddies."

"Right. Total boyf."

"Boyf?"

"Riends."

"I hate you."

Thomas was grinning, laughing at Anxiety's light blush. "Okay, sorry, carry on. So, what happened after Roman was formed?"

Virgil swallowed hard. He wasn't sure if he could even really continue with the story from this part on. He could just tell Thomas no. Tell him to go away and just never finish the story. He's sure the others wouldn't care. It's not like they remember or anything.

No, he already said he was going to do this. He can't back out now.

"Logan wanted to explore your mind palace a bit…"

* * *

The traits were moving deeper and deeper into Thomas' mind. Because Thomas was in middle school now, he was almost an adult; and they should know more about the mind they represent. So they found different mindspaces, made for different things. This was how they formed their own rooms; by finding the way of thinking that best suited them and just, kinda, claiming it.

* * *

"Oh, do they, like, find you or something?" Thomas interrupted.

Virgil took a deep breath. "I'm getting to that."

Thomas shut his mouth, "Right, sorry."

* * *

But there were certain parts of Thomas' mind that were left uncharted. Parts that the  _others_  occupied. Parts that they just didn't feel comfortable going into alone. Logic believed it to be wisest to stay out of the deeper parts of Thomas' mind. Morality didn't want to invade Thomas' privacy too much. And Creativity simply was too excited by the idea of decorating his own room to worry about silly things like repressed memories.

That left only one: Curiosity.

As they others headed back to the front of Thomas' consciousness, Curiosity lingered on the edge of the shadowy abyss. He tried to peer into the deeper parts of Thomas' mind, but he couldn't quite see anything past the shadows. If he wanted to know what was back there - which he  _really_ did - then he was going to have to go in.

"Curiosity! Aren't you coming?" Morality called.

Curiosity glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the other traits, "Yeah, just give me a second to think."  
"Knowing him, it'll be more than a second." Logic sighed. "We'll meet you back in Thomas' bedroom."

With the other traits gone, Curiosity was unsupervised. Let me be the first to say that you should  _never_  let your Curiosity run rampant. When all control is given to such a personality trait, the following things happen.

A certain personality trait takes a step out of the realm of safety and into the dark void of repression. Here, in the dark parts of Thomas' mind, everything and anything could be dangerous. There's no telling what horrific thoughts might be lingering there.

Curiosity walked further and further into the darkness until he felt a sudden chill run past him. The man turned around quickly, trying to see what just pressed against him. There was a scuffling of something in the distance. And, yeah, Curiosity wanted to know what that thing was, but he wasn't stupid. It might be a horrifying monster or something. So, the trait turned and ran in the other direction.

He got rather far before he tripped over something. Crashing to the ground, the trait landed in a mess of limbs and startled squeaks. Curiosity groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. After making sure he was unharmed, the trait twisted around to see what he tripped over.

What he found was a chest; no taller than his shin and no longer than his arm. The wood was a dark, pure black that almost melted into the dark haze around them. But the lock was a lavish gold that sparkled in the low light.

Curiosity crawled closer to the chest, inspecting it. He watched himself in the reflection of the lock, smiling at the goofy faces he made. He would perhaps have gotten up and left the chest had he more time to mess around with it.

But the cold chill had returned, and whatever had frightened him was coming back. So, instead of getting his fill of the new object, Curiosity grabbed the chest and lifted it off the ground. He set it back down again, because, JESUS, that was  _heavy_. But he readjusted his grip, lifted with his legs, and then disappeared to his room with the chest in tow.

If you're judging Curiosity for having some difficulty picking up a thought: 1) screw you, and 2) some thoughts can be extraordinarily hard to hold, indeed.

In the safety of his own room, which looked a lot like Thomas' but was much messier, Curiosity was able to give the safe his undivided attention.

What was in it?

What was hiding in there?

Why was it in the darkest parts of Thomas' mind?

Who put it there?

Where's the key?

Does everyone have a little chest in their head?

What would happen if he opened it?

And wasn't that last question the kicker? The one that stuck in his mind until he  _had_  to act on it. He found some scissors that were long and thin. Carefully, he tried to pick the lock with them. When that didn't work, he tried using a metal hanger. When he couldn't exactly get it, he tried a hammer. But the lock wouldn't break off the chest. Finally, Curiosity piled up all of his furniture in a huge pile, climbed to the top of said pile, and the body slammed onto the chest.

He wanted to know if brute force would work.

And, to his surprise, it did! The chest broke upon his impact and he landed in a pile of dark wood. Curiosity scrambled to his knees, brushing away the debris for his prize. Imagine his disappointment when there was nothing in the chest!

"Why would you have a locked empty chest!?" Curiosity asked out loud.

* * *

"Why  _would_  you have a locked empty chest?" Thomas asked.

"I'm getting to that." Anxiety growled.

"Sorry, I'm just -"

"If you say 'curious', I'll hit you."

Thomas laughed and gestured for him to continue. Virgil looked down at his hands, which started to tangle restlessly with each other.

"The chest wasn't empty. There just wasn't anything  _physical_ in it…"

* * *

It seemed as though as soon as Curiosity stood up, he crashed back down to his knees. His legs gave out under him as an incredible weight smashed into his back. He struggled under the pressure of it; a cold inky feeling that drilled into him. Curiosity couldn't see anything, but he  _felt_  the strange mass surround him. It poured into every exposed piece of skin; turning him cold. He started shaking as fear rose in his chest. He tried to scream, but nothing would come out. His heart constricted painfully while beating rapidly, tripping itself up so it just knocked uselessly around his chest.

On his hands and knees, Curiosity shuddered and gasped; trying to find enough air as something inside him changed. His body felt heavy. His mind felt crowded. He realized, belatedly, that he was panicking. He couldn't take this feeling anymore. Curiosity's arms crumbled under him and he passed out on the floor of his room.

It was only a few hours later that Curiosity woke back up. The trait groaned and slowly lifted himself off the floor. His mouth tasted like bile and his knees were still a bit weak.

He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what just happened. He didn't seem hurt. Nor was he ill. But something was … different … about him.

In the back of his mind, there was a constant buzz that left him on edge. His lungs felt too small and his heart wouldn't calm. His eyes darted around his room; which was much too bright.

"Curiosity?" A voice called from somewhere in Thomas' mind.

The trait swallowed and took a step forward. He wanted to call out, to tell them where he was. But for some reason, a tight knot had formed in his throat, and he couldn't quite get the words out.

Regardless, a moment later, Creativity appeared, grinning at him. "Hey! I got this  _great_  idea for a tv show!"

The prince waited in bated breath for Curiosity to ask him about it. Because that's what he always did. He always got the excited urge to know what Creativity was thinking.

But the feeling wasn't there. Curiosity simply didn't want to know. He wasn't … curious. And he wasn't even curious about why he wasn't curious. Instead, there was a deep urge to hide.

So he stood there, waiting with Creativity in silence. As the other trait realized that he wasn't going to ask about his idea, Creativity started to explain it on his own. "A buddy-cop show where one of the cops is secretly an alien. But their, like, the best cop in the world. They send the deo on all the hardest missions. And the alien spends half their time making sure the humans don't get hurt and don't figure out why their  _not_  hurt. And maybe there could be a cute love story in there with a theme about acceptance and possibly immigration. Thoughts?"

Curiosity squirmed, "What if … people don't like it?"  
"Of course they'd like it. I thought of it." The prince replied, not deterred at all.

"But, what if they don't? What if everyone hates it? And it's not a good idea at all? What if it's a total fail and you'll think about it at night, when you can't sleep, and you'll get embarrassed and want to cry because everyone knows that you made that piece of crap and-"

Creativity held up his hands, stopping the other trait's tirade. "Bippity boppity  _stop._  Where's all of this coming from? This is not the excited Curiosity I know and adore. You seem stressed. What is bothering you? I shall kill it!"

Curiosity placed a shaking hand on his own chest, " _I'm_  bothering me! I don't know why - or how - but I don't feel  _good_  and it's freaking me out, and I can't breathe - and - and - and -"

"Okay, okay." Creativity put his hands on the other's shoulders. "We'll fix this; it'll be alright. Thomas is probably just sick. Or something. Let's see if the others know what to do."

Curiosity squeaked when Creativity picked him up bridal style and carried him to the other traits. He didn't say anything when he was set down in front of the two men. He fidgeted under their gazes; unable to keep eye contact.

"This is very strange indeed." Logic muttered as he picked at Curiosity's messy hair. He usually kept it nicer than this. And his clothes were incredibly rumpled. Not that Curiosity was ever particularly clean, but this was a new state of tangled.

Creativity was still explaining what happened, "He didn't even ask me about my gay-alien-cop-show-idea."

"He looks guilty." Morality said, tilting his head, "What'd you do, kiddo? It's okay, you can tell us."

Curiosity felt bile rise in his throat as all of them watched him. He took a step back, his hands coming up slightly to put something between them. "You're … all looking at me…"

"Well, yeah." Creativity said, "We're trying to figure out what's wrong-"

"Hey, wait," Morality interrupted, "Curi, when did you put on eyeshadow!? Is it a new look you wanted to try? Because it looks great!"

Logic rolled his eyes, "Focus, you overgrown child."

"That would be an adult." Morality pointed out, "Which I am. An adult."

Creativity waved his hands at them without looking away from Curiosity, "Shh, look! It's getting darker!"

"Cool!" Morality grinned.

But it wasn't cool. Nothing was cool.

Curiosity's breaths were coming out in short, uncontrolled bursts. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as the panic overtook him.

Creativity saw it first. "Mori, get him some water! Logic, grab a blanket!"

The other two dashed away, following their orders. Creativity grabbed Curiosity and slowly lowered him down to the couch. Curiosity's face grew red as his vision faded around the edges. He barely felt the way Logic wrapped a blanket around him. It didn't help the cold feeling seeping into his bones. By the time Morality came back with water, Curiosity was hyperventilating too much to drink it.

Distantly, he could hear the other's arguing.

"What do we do!? What do we do!?"  
"I don't know!"  
"You're supposed to know! You're the smart one!"

"Well, you're supposed to be the hero! Save him!"

"From  _what_!?"

"Deep breaths, kiddo. Can you do that?"

"What's happening to him!?"

The last thing Curiosity heard was Logic's mildly strained voice.

"...How is this affecting Thomas?"

* * *

Anxiety's voice was near silent as he whispered shakily, "You were diagnosed with anxiety that weekend."

Thomas didn't really know how to respond to that. What words could make Virgil feel better? What do you say in a moment like this? Finally, he settled on, "I remember that."

"I know you do." Anxiety said, "I can't let you forget it."

"It was finals week. I had a huge project due. And it wasn't done yet." Thomas recalled. Before he grew anxious about due dates, he was a bit of a procrastinator. "I started freaking out about it."

"You cried in front of your brothers." Anxiety helpfully added. "They had no idea what was happening."  
"They still had me go to school." Thomas shuddered, remembering that day. He cried in the bathroom twice.

Anxiety shrugged, "But, they did convince your teacher to give you an extension."

"That's true." Thomas smiled.

The let the soft air hang for a moment as they both remembered Thomas' first anxiety attack. It was quiet for a moment or two, and then Thomas turned to Anxiety, "Okay, well, how come the others don't know about this?"

Anxiety sighed, dropping his gaze. "I made them forget. I… couldn't handle the way they looked at me. What they would say to me. I just … panicked."

* * *

"I brought you a jacket!" Morality said, holding up a black article. "I noticed that you suddenly have a love for all things black. And this is dark  _and_  heavy!"

That was a nice gesture. Curiosity accepted the gift and never really took it off since. In fact, Morality helped redecorate Curiosity's room. Ever since that chest was broken, the room started getting darker; like the air itself was changing. Morality didn't like spending a lot of time in there (especially once Curiosity got these awesome spider curtains), but he did his best to help out the "changes of a young man".

Morality wasn't the problem. The problem was the other two.

If Logic hated Curiosity before; he  _despised_ him now. Because, see, Curiosity still had a love for 'what if' questions. But their context was far less enjoyable.

"What if everyone makes fun of the way we're dressed?" Curiosity asked.

"Unlikely. Based on statistics and the shared interest of the generation, at least  _one_  person would like Thomas' outfit." Logic replied, not looking up from what he was reading.

"But what if Thomas has to use the bathroom?"  
"He's a bright young man, I'm sure he knows how one functions."

"What if everyone watches him?"

"Go to the bathroom?"

"Yes! What if they all look at him when he stands up? What if he has to walk past everyone to get there?  _What if he clogs the toilet_?"

Logic groaned, "By Jove, you've been asking me these questions ever since Thomas got invited to the party! I will tell you what will most likely happen: Thomas will show up, his friends and he will eat pizza and watch a movie, his mother will pick him up. It'll be rather unextraordinary!"

Curiosity thought for a moment and then shook his head, "Can't risk it. He just shouldn't go."

Logan's eye twitched as Curiosity walked away.

Creativity was even worse.

"I don't think I like your attitude."

"I'm just telling you what everyone else is going to say."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Your outfit is stupid, and everyone will hate you if you wear it."

"Get out of my site you evil beast!"

Couldn't he see that he was trying to protect the prince from the embarrassment that wearing bright red spandex in public would cause?

The two started avoiding Curiosity. They didn't want to learn or create with him anymore. They hardly wanted to be in the same room. He made them feel strange.

Curiosity could see the way they were distancing themselves. He was watching, helpless, as he was losing the people he thought he could trust. But he couldn't do anything. He couldn't change his suddenly sour attitude. It was, somehow, a part of him now.

But none of that truly bothered him. What  _did_ bother him was how all of this was affecting Thomas.

The boy that used to be so excited to try new things grew to be very hesitant of all uncharted territories. Curiosity tried to be good for Thomas. He tried to get him excited about new musicals. He tried to convince him to talk to a new friend.

But he couldn't. Everything came out wrong.

"You should text that one guy from rehearsal." Curiosity told Thomas.

The boy smiled and picked up his phone, pulling up the new contact.

"But you have to make sure you say the right thing."  
Thomas stopped, looking over to Curiosity.  
"This is the first time you'll ever text this person. You don't want to seem like a loser."

"Oh…" Thomas hesitated, his thumbs hovering over the buttons. "What should I say?"

"It has to be casual. But not like you're trying to be casual." Curiosity explained. "Relaxed. But not so much that he thinks you don't care."

Thomas typed out 'hey' and paused, thinking of what else to put. "Should I just say 'this is Thomas'?"

"Is this a business transaction? He's going to think you're boring." Curiosity said, crossing his arms. "Look, just,  _no don't send that!"_

But Thomas had already pushed send. And the little 'hey' appeared on the screen. Thomas looked up to Curiosity. "Wait, why? I was just going to continue in a new text."

"That's  _double texting_ , do you want to look desperate and pathetic?" Curiosity's voice rose slightly.

Thomas frowned, appearing small and fragile as he pulled his phone close to his chest, "No?"

"You don't even sound sure of yourself!" Curiosity said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I  _never_ feel sure of myself anymore." Thomas mumbled, looking down at his phone.

Curiosity felt a spike of pain flash through him as he watch Thomas curl in on himself. He did this. Thomas was insecure because of him. He broke the chest holding back his anxiety. He ruined Thomas' self-esteem, his drive, his  _wonder_ , it's all gone and replaced by this toxic, disgusting creature he's turned into.

Things only got worse.

"Curiosity, why don't you try to smile a bit more?"  
"I'm all for growing up into your adultery form, but isn't this a bit, um, much?"

"You used to be fun!"

"Why are you like this now?"

"Why don't you like us anymore?"

"We don't really talk much anymore."

"Are you okay?"

"Curiosity-"

"Curiosity-"

"Curiosity-"

He couldn't take it anymore. The pitying looks. The hateful sneers. The worried glances. And his throat grew tight every time someone called him that dreadful name. He's not curious anymore. That's not him. He's- he's different now.

So he made a rash decision. He rebuilt the chest and carried it to a deep part of Thomas' mind. A large place with endless screens that played and replayed videos - memories - of Thomas' life. The trait found every clip involving himself. Carefully, he cut himself out of the thoughts. Thomas would never even know he was there.

In his place, he inserted thoughts of Morality, Logic (or in the later years, Creativity). The mind is constantly working. So it enjoys shortcuts. It eats them up. If Curiosity supplied a thought of Logic in his place, the mind fit it in seamlessly, accepting it as fact.

Once all traces of Curiosity was taken from Thomas' mind; the trait dragged the now heavy chest back into that dark, shadowy realm. Back where it came from. He knew he wouldn't be able to put all the anxious thoughts back in the chest. It had seeped into Curiosity's being; into his room. There was too much to erase. But a few memories here and there? That was do-able.

So as Curiosity pushed the chest away from him in the darkest corner of Thomas' subconscious, he felt a bit of relief; the tightness in his chest dissolving just slightly.

* * *

"Is that what happened with the Others?" Thomas asked, almost excited.

Anxiety opened his mouth and then shut it again, shaking his head, "I'm not answering that."

Thomas pouted, but gave Anxiety his attention once more.

* * *

Back at the front of Thomas' mind, Curiosity dusted off his hands, satisfied with his work. It was better this way. No one had to know what he had done. No one needed to see his mistakes.

"Who is that?!"

Curiosity jumped in the air, letting out a startled squeak. Whipping around, he saw the other three aspects watching him.

"A new trait?" Morality asked, clearly confused. "But Thomas is grown. Why would he need a new trait?"

Logic adjusted his glasses, "He does start high school soon. Perhaps this is an expression of maturity that will allow Thomas to further his career in-"

"Adultery!"

"No…"

Creativity huffed, running a hand through his hair, "Thomas doesn't need anyone else when  _I'm_  here. I mean, we. We have been taking care of Thomas since he was in diapers! Why would some  _new_ trait come by?"

If Thomas doesn't remember him, neither do they. Curiosity closed his eyes and reminded himself that this is what he wanted. He didn't want to see their pain-filled stares anymore. He just wanted to be himself - not a ghost of what he once was.

"Shh, don't be rude. Let's talk to him." Morality approached the new trait; "Hi! I'm Dad, I'm Thomas' morality! What's your name?"

Curiosity hesitated, looking down at his hands.

"Aw, he's shy. Don't worry, you're in a safe place. We're all here to help Thomas." Morality smiled. And he was right. That was his job. That's what he was here to do. That's his purpose. To help Thomas.

With that in mind, the trait swallowed hard and said, "I'm Anxiety."

* * *

Thomas was quiet after Anxiety finished his story. He waited, holding his breath, for how Thomas will react. But the man was being strangely quiet.

"Please say something." Virgil almost whined. He hated silence. They were  _always_  awkward and tense and strange.

"So, you're, like, transtrait." Thomas said, offering a small smile.

"I'm not trans anything!" Anxiety hissed, shaking his head, "Morality was just being nice, calling it that. I didn't transition, I was  _corrupted_! You could've been great, Thomas, but I made a stupid mistake and you paid for it!"

Thomas shook his head, putting a hand on Anxiety's shoulder, "No, hey. We already agreed that you're good for me. This doesn't change any of that. You still work well with the others and you're still an important part of my life. I don't care that you used to be my curiosity. I care about who you are now. And now? I like what who I am.  _All_  parts of who I am."

Virgil sighed and let himself lean against Thomas. He was holding back a smile. He should've known Thomas would accept him. But will the others? Once they know who he used to be? "Well, anyway, that's what Patton meant."

"Thank you for sharing this with me. I know it was hard." Thomas smiled softly; "I won't tell anyone. Unless you want to?"

Virgil shifted in his seat, "I don't know. Only Logan and Roman don't know."

"It's not really fair to keep it from them. But it's your choice completely." Thomas said. "If you want, I'll tell them to let it go and they will."

Anxiety thought for a second before he shook his head. "No, I mean, they'll probably figure it out eventually. So. Might as well…"

Thomas stood up and held out a hand, "We can do this together. I'll be there with you. Let me take care of you, this time."

"...Thanks."

* * *

Logan and Roman were waiting in the forefront of Thomas' mind; quietly bickering. When Thomas and Virgil appeared, they silenced themselves immediately. They both straightened, watching Anxiety with hesitant gazes.

"Hey, guys." Thomas said, placing a comforting hand on Anxiety's shoulder. "We have something to tell you."

* * *

Sometime during the retelling of the story, Patton reappeared. This story had just as many (if not more) interruptions as when it was just Thomas.

"So I, uh- Curiosity, brought Thomas to the theatre for his first tryouts, and -"

"I thought I did that." Logic looked to Roman, who shared an astonished look with him.

"No, I'll, um, get to that."

Thomas stood by his side the entire time; offering small smiles of encouragement every time Anxiety's breathing tripped up.

When he finished his story, everyone was quiet. Virgil wanted to scream. Why couldn't any of them react immediately? Why did they have to be silent?

"Where is this chest with Thomas' memories?" Logan asked.

"In the Room of Repression." Anxiety mumbled.

"And am I correct to assume you don't want it reopened?"

Anxiety shook his head, lowering his gaze. "I… yeah, no. Please. I don't…"

"We can save that adventure for another time." Thomas said, "For now, thank you, Virgil, for sharing this with everyone."

Anxiety shrugged, "...Can I go now?"

Thomas nodded and the trait disappeared back to his room. Everyone was silent for another moment, thoughtful.

"I have no recollection of Curiosity." Logan said, sounding a bit frustrated. "How am I to believe something that isn't there?"

"I was a bit surprised when he told me." Patton said, "But why would he lie about this? I believed him and we had some ice cream."

Roman shook his head, "I can't imagine myself being 'inseparable' with any form of Anxiety. It's just- not possible."

"But he wasn't Anxiety back then." Thomas pointed out.

"Still…" Roman muttered. "He went on, knowing about this, thinking about this, our past, his past, every time he interacted with one of us. No wonder he wanted to leave it all in the last video."

"Speaking of video," Morality said, gesturing to the camera in Thomas' livingroom, "You've left that running all day and it's probably dead and out of memory."

"Oh, shoot!" Thomas said, going to inspect his equipment.

* * *

Anxiety's not stupid. He saw the way they looked at him now. Their raised eyebrows and long glances. They were suspicious.

They didn't believe him.

He was fine with that.

Until he wasn't.

Everything became too much; and eventually, he found himself standing in Thomas' livingroom; a black chest at his feet and a sledgehammer in his hand.

"HEY!" He shouted, and the other traits appeared around him, various levels of confused annoyance on their faces.

Thomas came running, stumbling into the room with a piece of pizza hanging from his mouth. "Waf?"

Logan's gaze flicked down to the chest and then back up at Anxiety, "Is that what I think it is?"

In reply, Anxiety slammed his hammer down onto the chest.

It broke apart instantly, unleashing the memories that were trapped inside. The room was hidden by a bright flash; making Thomas groan. As the light faded, Anxiety dropped his hammer, chewing his lip as he looked over to Thomas.

The man was holding his head, a headache clear on his expression. And then, nothing. His shoulders relaxed and he looked up, his eyes wide. His gaze immediately fell to Anxiety.

"I remember you." He whispered, his voice full of awe.

Virgil opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly engulfed in a hug. Morality was squealing in his ear, "Oh, my goodness, Virgil, you did it! I'm so proud of you!"

Virgil smiled softly, gently pushing Patton off him, "Don't touch me."

"I remember you." Thomas whispered again.

Logan approached, holding out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, once again. I'm sorry for how I may have treated you. We  _do_  share a love of the unknown."

"Did." Anxiety corrected, "Not a big fan of the unknown anymore." He took Logan's hand in his and shook it. Logan nodded once in understanding, a smile quirking at his lips, "But, thanks."

Thomas' hands were shaking slightly as he said, once more, "I  _remember_ you."

Virgil slowly looked over to Roman, his heart stuttering when he saw the prince blinking rapidly. The creative trait hesitantly approached Anxiety, his eyes wide. A deep blush spread across Roman's cheeks as the memories flooded his mind. Anxiety looked away, his own cheeks darkening. They  _certainly_  were close back then. And now Roman remembered that.

Roman quickly engulfed Anxiety in a hug that put Morality's to shame. Virgil's hands found themselves awkwardly handing in the air as the other man held them close. He hid his face in Virgil's shoulder.

"I always did think there was something missing." Roman whispered. Anxiety's hands shook as they wrapped around the prince's back. He let out a small sob when Roman continued, "Welcome back."

They were certainly a sight. Logan grinning from ear to ear as he recalled various memories that were long forgotten; Morality and Thomas shaking each other and screaming in excitement; and Roman, holding onto Virgil like he was something that was  _worth_  remembering.

So, like he said, it was just any normal day at the Sanders house.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think!!  
> Come chill with me on [tumblr](https://esompthinfics.tumblr.com/)


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